Film Review: 500 MPH STORM (2013)

The weather has never been as dangerous as it is in 500 MPH Storm (2013).  Well, maybe in any typical Syfy Channel movie the weather is a dangerous element especially when man has something to do with as he does in this film.  Nathan Sims (Casper Van Dien) is enjoying the day with his family when he is informed that his friend and colleague Simon Caprisi (Michael Beach) has turned on his experimental weather machine which goes out of control creating massive hurricanes that rip across America.  Now time is running out as Sims must get his family to safety and find a way to stop his machine before it creates a “hypercane” that could destroy North America. 

Unfortunately, despite the very Eco-friendly message of the film it’s riddled with bad acting and horrible CGI visual FX which take you out of the film.  Dien is not a stranger to these types of films since most of his career in the past decade has been of this variety.  He does the best that he can but there isn’t much that he’s given.

Written by Kuang Lee and Hank Woon Jr., the film also suffers from the fact that as ludicrous as the idea is no one seems to be having any fun in the film least of all Dien.  Supporting characters are more annoying than normal to the point that you wish some of them would just die and the film slugs along through its 86 minute run time.  A film to avoid if possible.

Film Review: THE PACT (2012)

Familial terror rises in the horror film The Pact (2012).  Written & directed by Nicholas McCarthy the film is about Annie (Caity Lotz) whose sister Nichole (Agnes Bruckner) disappears not long after moving into the home of their recently deceased mother.  When her cousin also disappears she sets off on discovering what happened to them but the secrets that lie within her family home are darker and deeper than she could have ever imagined. 

I actually found myself really enjoying this film.  The script is very well written with flawed let relatable characters with a very good cast.  Bridger Nielson is the director of photography and the look of the film plays a tremendous part in creating the mood and atmosphere.  This is McCarthy’s debut feature after several shorts (including one for this film) and it’s already apparent that he knows how to craft a horror film built around character and an atmosphere of dread.  It will be interesting to see where he goes from here (he’s already directed another feature At the Devil’s Door, 2014, which I have yet to see).

The film works because Lotz does a great job creating a relatable character who is not only grieving for a lost mother but the disappearance of an estranged sister as well.  It’s about her character trying to come to grips with a really screwed up family.  Even the presence of the supernatural doesn’t take away from the film or make these elements seem cliché.  Haley Hudson plays Stevie, someone who can speak with the dead who helps Annie discover the truth about her family.  Hudson steals every scene she’s in but never overshadows the rest of the film.  The same can be said for actor Casper Van Dien who plays the only detective that believes Annie’s story.

This is a very good film with a few surprises that’s both suspenseful and entertaining.